In the end
by JesusViaSatalite
Summary: The final battle with Naraku is at hand. Alliances are formed. Lives are lost. And a group of unlikely characters comes together and draws strength from a painful source.
1. The Midnight Alliance

**Chapter One: The Midnight Alliance**

In the empty black sky the stars twinkled without the distraction of the moon to set the scene below in inky blackness. A young woman sat beside a small campfire with her yellow backpack resting against her legs. She had situated her camp near the borders of a nearby forest. She looked about anxiously.

_Please come, I beg you…_ Kagome was now a young woman of eighteen. For the past three years she spent the preponderance of her time traveling from her life in modern Tokyo to the Feudal Era to battle against the deceitful Naraku and restore the Jewel of Four Souls. Their task was nearing its end, but she knew that reinforcements were needed to end it finally.

Kagome's gaze shot straight ahead, as she sensed the approach of two jewel shards. She knew that at least one summons was being answered. Within moments, she saw the silhouettes of three men approaching her camp at a leisurely pace. Koga and his top two lieutenants, Ginta and Hakkaku, marched in an almost business like fashion towards Kagome's campsite. Koga walked ahead of Ginta and Hakkaku, and he saw that Kagome sat alone.

The trio came into the ring of firelight as Koga said, "I see the mutt face has left you alone, _again_. Where is he? Cavorting with his dead whore?"

"Enough!" Kagome commanded. "I did not send you an invitation to hear this. Inuyasha is not present on my request alone. Have a seat." Koga and his comrades sat across from Kagome. She offered them a bag of potato chips from her backpack.

"Make yourselves comfortable. I would like to wait a little longer to see if the other party arrives." She instructed the wolves.

The sound of logs crackling over a fire was soon joined by the crunching of three wolf demons eating potato chips.

"So what's this all about?" Koga asked between one mouth full of chips and the next.

Kagome slipped another log into the fire as she answered, "You will find out soon enough."

Soon enough two others stepped out of the forest. A demon woman with crimson hair braided back tightly to her thighs and mismatched eyes, one was bright blue almost a white that had a thin layer of dust over it and the other was as black as the moonless sky. She towered over Kagome with a curious look. The man next to her stopped behind her a few paces, he too had mismatched eyes of the same hues but in opposite sockets, his long blonde hair was tied tightly back in a long black leather strip.

"We came-," the red head started.

"-as you requested," the blonde man finished. Kagome had met the twins a few months ago when they last encountered Naraku. They had lost the rest of their clan to Naraku and sought revenge for their fallen comrades.

"Geist," Kagome nodded to the red head before looking to her twin, "Mitsu." Kagome invited the two to sit, Mitsu sat next to Ginta while Geist opted to lean against a tree on the edge of the ring. The twins showed no outward display but Kagome could see from the look in their eyes that they were talking in their minds. She found out after watching them in battle that they were telepaths and used this as an advantage, making them a formidable pair, not that they were not formidable on their own.

Minutes crept by and Kagome began to give up hope of seeing her other guests as Ginta handed her the empty chip bag. She took a deep breath to begin the meeting as she heard a small girl's voice call out from above,

"Hello there!" Kagome looked into the skies to see Sesshomaru, Rin, and Jaken riding atop Ah-Un. The two headed dragon circled as it made its descent to the camp. Ah-Un made a surprisingly silent landing and Sesshomaru dismounted from the beast. Jaken and Rin followed suit behind him. 

"What is he doing here?" Koga asked. Mitsu studied the man as his sister looked on with apathetic disinterest.

"The same as you, Koga; he is here at my invitation." Kagome rose to meet Sesshomaru for she knew she needed to exercise a great deal more respect with him. Sesshomaru approached Kagome and she bowed. "I am glad that you decided to come."

He did not return the bow. "Your message said that you knew how to destroy Naraku."

"Indeed. I think I have figured it out, Lord Sesshomaru," Kagome said.

"Then why did you send me this?" Sesshomaru said as he held out his palm to reveal a shard of the Shikon Jewel.

"Some would call it a token of trust." She ventured to say.

Koga looked as if he would blow his top. "You never sent such a token to me."

Kagome maintained her cool stance. "Because you already trust me, Koga."

Sesshomaru closed his hand over the shard, "If I like what you have to say, priestess, I will return your shard." He took a seat to Kagome's right with Jaken and Rin close at hand.

Kagome returned to her seat and began. "We have all battled Naraku on many occasions, and we have all failed to defeat him. We have all tried our own strategies and techniques only to have Naraku escape time and time again. I think we are all going about this task the wrong way. Can anyone see the flaw in our actions?"

Sesshomaru was silent. Koga rubbed his chin. Jaken rolled his eyes. Rin wrinkled her brow in thought. Geist and Mitsu did not even seem to hear her either that or they were discussing it in their minds.

Hakkaku bravely muttered, "We're fighting alone."

"Exactly. While each of our groups is more than one person, they are not enough." Kagome moved her hands to emphasize her point.

"What are you getting at, Kagome?" Koga asked.

Kagome took a deep breath, "The only way for us to succeed in defeating Naraku is having all of us to fight together. I know that some may think that this is an insult to their power, pride, and ability, but this is not easy for me to say either. But if our individual efforts aren't enough then perhaps an alliance is worth a chance."

"Alliance?" Koga exclaimed, "With the mutt face? Never!"

Sesshomaru refused to grace her with a response, but Jaken took it upon himself to voice his disgust. "Mortals, half-breeds, creepy demon twins, and wolves! Bah! My lord would never sully his good name by being seen in the company of such a rabble!"

Rin turned the tables. "But I'm a mortal." Tears welled up in her brown eyes. "Do you not want me around Master Jaken? Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru looked down at Rin as she started to cry her heart out, and for a moment, he felt guilt gnawing at his heart. Kagome watched Sesshomaru's face as he looked upon the weeping child. She recognized the glimmer of kindness and shame. Hope rekindled in Kagome's heart and she thought,

_Ah-ha, so he doesn't feel so much apathy towards humans as he would let on. I may just be able to pull this whole thing off after all. Let's go in for the kill …_ Kagome reached out to Rin and smoothed the young girl's hair back.

"It's all right, Rin. If you want, you can come with us and we'll take care of you." For the most fleeting of instants, anger flashed in Lord Sesshomaru's eyes. Mitsu snicker lowly at something but did not seem to acknowledge the Lord's piercing glare.

Sesshomaru reclaimed his callous disposition and bluntly said,

"No." Rin's head darted towards her lord. Sesshomaru looked down to Rin's tear-stained face. At the sight of her sorrow, his will quaked. "We are going with them." Jaken fell over backwards from shock. Kagome's heart leapt within her chest. Koga sat with his mouth hanging open, utterly thunderstruck. Sesshomaru held his hand out to Kagome to return her jewel shard. She took it with respect.

Jaken lifted himself to his feet and began to squawk, "My lord! Are we really going along with this foolish scheme? Allying ourselves with mortals and half-breeds? Why it's prepos —" His sentence was cut short by Sesshomaru's hand clamping around his throat.

"I said that we were going with them, Jaken. That should be enough for you." Sesshomaru released Jaken roughly. Jaken bowed and backed away.

Kagome now turned to face Koga. "What do you have to say to my proposal, Koga?"

The young wolf lord sat cross-legged and the fire played upon his pensive face while he weighed options in his mind. Ginta and Hakkaku glanced about nervously while Koga thought.

Ginta whispered, "I think it would be best to help out Kagome."

"Shut up. I'm thinking," Koga grumbled.

Kagome threw a smaller log on the fire and then rustled through her backpack for some fruit snacks. She offered the treats to Rin and the small girl accepted them with a smile. Koga stood slowly and looked to Kagome. "We will join your alliance under a small condition."

"What is your condition?" Kagome asked.

"That all former grudges and vendettas are laid aside _only_ until after Naraku's death," Koga said. "After that everything goes back to normal."

Kagome turned to Sesshomaru, "Do you agree to these terms, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"I have no grudge with Koga. You know where my animosity lies, but I will keep that to myself until Naraku is defeated. He is the greater threat," Sesshomaru spoke.

Kagome sighed, "Very well. I'm glad that I did not have to bring it up. It is agreed on our part as well."

"What about you two," Kagome turned to the twins who both bore wide smirks.

"A wise tactical advantage-," Geist spoke in a whispy voice just loud enough for them to hear.

"- we will join you," Mitsu finished off, his voice stronger than his ghostly twin. Nodding to the twins, she stood and turned towards the nearby woods. Kagome pulled a small mirror and keychain flashlight from her pocket. Utilizing both items, she flashed a signal into the trees. As Kagome returned the items to her pockets Sango, Miroku, Kilala, Shippo, and a black-haired Inuyasha emerged from the foliage. Mitsu gave a low snort of laughter he tried to play off as a cough while Geist just stared blankly.

Sesshomaru smirked from the sight of his brother in his vulnerable state. _The new moon … it's not surprising seeing as he was born the night of a lunar eclipse. _

The rest of Kagome's party reached her quickly. Miroku was first to speak. "All has gone well I take it?"

Kagome nodded, "Yes. They have all agreed to the alliance."

"Good," Sango said.

"Kagome," InuYasha grumbled, "Explain to me why we had to do this on the new moon?"

"Because, InuYasha," she began, "They will more than likely find out sooner or later. The jewel shard was our sign of trust to Sesshomaru. Koga already trusted us. The twins seem to trust us as well. This was an indication of trust to everyone; a sign that we are serious and not simply seeking an easy out of this situation." She turned to Koga, Sesshomaru, Geist, and their respective parties. "This was InuYasha's biggest secret, and by revealing it he is showing his trust and confidence that we will all band together for as long as it takes to destroy Naraku." The newcomers nodded in agreement, including Jaken.


	2. The Eve of Battle

**Chapter Two: The Eve of Battle**

Gray clouds hung low in the air. The skies threatened snow as thirteen people gathered in a camp scooted closer to a fire to keep warm or fought to erect a tent for some sense of shelter. They were a motley crew, consisting of eight demons, four humans, and one grumpy half-demon. The tension around the camp was thick and nearly tangible, like their misty breath that curled like smoke in the air. Hakkaku kept nervously glancing between Koga, InuYasha, and Sesshomaru, as if half expecting a fight to break out at any second. Ginta frequently cast shy glances at Geist, hoping she would notice him. Jaken grumbled under his breath while Rin and Shippo drew pictures with the crayons Kagome brought from her era. Kagome, Miroku, and Sango fought to assemble the large tent that Kagome was forced to take from home. InuYasha sat deep in thought while petting Kilala. The twins sat cross legged facing each other lost deep in a conversation that no one else could hear, almost unaware of the thick tension. Rin and Shippo giggled between themselves at some private joke. She stood and bowed to Shippo, "Thank you for letting me use your crayons, Shippo." She happily ran around the camp heading for the one person whom she was always happy to see.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she said with her hands behind her back.

Sesshomaru turned to her slowly. Despite his cold demeanor, he was happy to see her as well. "Yes Rin."

She shuffled her feet, feeling a little less confident now that she was face-to-face with her lord. "With the battle tomorrow, my lord, I — uh . . . I made you something. It's for good luck," she slowly pulled a hand out from behind her back to reveal the picture she drew. It was a crayon drawing of Rin and Sesshomaru with Jaken squawking in the background.

"Rin, I do not need luck to destroy Naraku."

Rin looked heartbroken. "You don't like it, my lord?"

"I did not say that."

Rin suddenly launched herself at him and hugged him round the neck. "Be safe tomorrow, Lord Sesshomaru." And as fast as she was there, she was gone. Sesshomaru was stunned. He looked and saw the same expression on other faces. Ginta and Hakkaku looked away, trying to pretend they had not seen a ten-year-old girl hug the demon lord and give him a gift. Koga simply nodded to Sesshomaru as if to say that there was no shame in the girl's concern and affection. Mitsu smiled at the scene before turning back to his sister. When all had turned away, Sesshomaru noticed the drawing was lying in his lap. With a quick flash of golden eyes to note the coast was clear, Sesshomaru folded the paper in quarters and stowed it in the folds of his haori. If only he knew he had missed a pair of brown doe eyes belonging to a seventeen-and-a-half year old priestess.

Kagome smiled to herself and returned to helping Miroku and Sango stake down the tent. _I'm glad to see that someone shows concern for him. Jaken is far too proud, and I don't think he's had anyone to be concerned for him since his father died._

"Kagome," Sango said softly.

"Yeah," Kagome said, snapping out of her reverie.

"Only one more stake and we should be done."

"Great! It'll be nice to have some shelter. I just can't believe my mom made me bring this thing along with all those extra blankets! I just said it looked like snow! But, I'm glad she insisted all the same. I wouldn't want anyone left out in the cold."

Miroku brought the mallet down on the last stake repeatedly. He paused to acknowledge Kagome's kindness. "I am glad your mother sent us such fine things. Give her our thanks when you next return home."

"Bah!" exclaimed Jaken, who appeared out of nowhere, "A true demon would never accept help or shelter from a pathetic human!" A fist came crashing down on Jaken's skull before he could continue.

"Speak for yourself, toad!" Koga scolded, "And the next time I hear you insult Kagome or her family, I won't be so generous." Koga turned, took Kagome's tender hands in his rough, clawed ones, and then bowed. "As the lord of the Wolf Demon Tribe, we accept the generosity of Kagome and her clan."

Kagome returned the bow, "You and yours are most welcome," she turned to Sesshomaru next to make a point, "And you three are welcome to join us as well, there are more than enough blankets."

"You too as well," She nodded towards the twins who sat close together. Kagome noted that Geist was staring curiously at Sesshomaru as she often did when she thought no one saw.

Since their small alliance formed a month ago, there has had to be a lot of bending due to a major clash of personalities. The bickering has mainly been caused by Jaken, and has usually ended with Kagome in tears and Koga or Inuyasha (or both) beating Jaken to a pulp. However, tonight Kagome was in for another surprise.

A clawed hand grasped Jaken's bruised head roughly. Sesshomaru glared down at the little imp and lifted him off the ground. Without a single word, Sesshomaru walked off with a pleading Jaken firmly imprisoned in his grip.  
Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and the three wolf demons watched as the figures of the demon lord and his underling faded into the surrounding trees.

"What was that about?" Sango asked of no one in particular.

"I'm not sure," Kagome said softly.

"Perhaps the great Lord is in a foul mood," Geist's low voice called.

Sesshomaru did not stop until he knew himself to be well past a dog demon's earshot. He dropped Jaken unceremoniously and strode a few paced beyond the toad. Jaken stood and brushed the dirt and dead leaves from his garments. The toad soon found the point of Tokijin resting upon the tip of his beak.

"My lord!" he shrieked, "What have I done to warrant this?"

"Listen closely, Jaken, for I will say it only once: Cease antagonizing Inuyasha's wench. Despite the fact that she is only human, she has every right as we to fight Naraku. For without her standing with us all, it will be damn near it impossible to defeat Naraku once and for all. It sat not well with me to ally myself with humans, wolf demons, and half-breeds, but unless we unite, all will fall under Naraku's evil. Do you understand me, Jaken?"

Jaken trembled as all that his lord spoke sank into his thick skull. He dropped to his knees and bowed before Sesshomaru, "Aye, milord. I will not upset the girl any further. You have my word."

Sesshomaru sheathed Tokijin and began to walk back to camp, "Very well." Jaken began to follow when Sesshomaru stopped abruptly to say, "And Jaken, as a sign that you have indeed understood the extent of what is at risk, and to calm the little miko, I want for you to apologize to her." He resumed walking, a small smirk playing on his lips at the thought of Jaken's punishment and absolute mortification.

_Apologize to a mortal! Oh, the indignity! By, if my lord wills it thus . . ._ And so, Jaken did not even grunt about the punishment set before him. He scurried along to keep up with his master. Their breath steamed and clouded about them as they traveled back down the path they had taken away from camp. Soon, the fire twinkled in the distance and the tent stood tall amongst the trees. As Sesshomaru drew nearer, he saw Kagome sitting by the campfire with Shippo cuddled on one side and Rin on the other, Geist stood behind them watching over. Everyone else was presumably in the tent. Instinctively, Kagome turned and glanced at the dark robbed woman who's face was darkened under her hood leaving her eyes shining in the dark towards the path. Kagome's eye follows Geist's gaze down the path. She roused the dozing children and stood to greet Sesshomaru. She noted that his eyes cast a brief study of Geist as he sensed the deep chilling aura everyone felt from her. Her aura was as if it was only an imprint of a stronger daunting beast willing itself to burst through the barriers of another realm. Unlike her brother's who's aura was strong and bright like a star, firmly rooted in this world, hers was dark and foreboding but not without an alluring charm.

"Rin insisted on waiting for you. Shippo and I didn't want to leave her alone and Geist insisted on staying to watch over us," she said.

Ignoring the pleasantries, Sesshomaru went straight for Jaken's pride. "Kagome, Jaken has something he wishes to tell you." Geist turned her gaze curiously to the scene before her once again allowing mismatched eyes to drift over Sesshomaru scrutinizing him silently. 

Jaken visibly blushed despite his green skin, for he did not expect to apologize in front of witnesses. Rin looked as though Christmas came early. Sesshomaru let the playful, satisfied smirk slip again. Jaken gulped down some of that lofty pride, slowly bowed, and said in an embarrassed, hushed tone, "I apologize for disrespecting you." His voice trailed off. Jaken received a deadly glare from Sesshomaru. He swallowed again and resumed, "And your family." Sesshomaru's eyes said _"Go on …"_ Jaken swallowed all that was left of his pride, "And I graciously accept your hospitality."

"Thank you, Jaken," Kagome returned the bow.

"Rin it's time for you to go in. It is too cold for you out here," Sesshomaru said.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." The young girl turned to thank Kagome, Geist, and Shippo for keeping her company and then pivoted and followed Sesshomaru into the tent with Jaken in tow. Kagome and Shippo followed the trio. Lastly, Geist followed them in.

The tent was warm due to all the people within its canvas walls. Shippo joined Rin beside the small mountain of blankets provided by Kagome's mother. Rin soon approached Sesshomaru and Jaken bearing three blankets (one large and two small). Kagome chuckled as Jaken stared at his bedding with dismay. Rin grabbed another large blanket to the twins who had already curled up in their dark robes. Mitsu was much larger in stature than his willowy sister so he lay with his back against the wall and had made a space for her to lay beside him.

"Thank you little one," Geist smiled and took the blanket gingerly before spreading her blanket over her little brother. She shook her head as she realized her brother was already asleep.

As they all gathered their blankets and makeshift pillows Inuyasha stood to make an announcement.

"All right everyone. Everything we have all worked for will be ended tomorrow. Be careful, and get some rest. We'll be up before the sun." Everyone nodded.

Inuyasha settled down and pulled Kagome close to him. She smiled softly and gathered Shippo to her, and he snuggled into her warmth. Miroku put his arm around Sango and she did not slap him nor did she call him a lecher. Geist curled up with her brother as he turned over in his slumber to curl against her back. Sesshomaru and Jaken slept a bit closer to Rin. And Koga bid everyone a good night without calling anyone "mutt face" for a change.

They all knew that with the dawn their lives would change forever.


	3. Intimate Moments

**Chapter Three: Intimate Moments**

Sesshomaru awoke a few hours later by a small fox demon cuddling up between him and Rin. He gave Shippo a piercing glare and the fox pup gave him a "please-forgive-me-you-oh-so-much-more-powerful-than-me-demon" smile. Sesshomaru looked to where Shippo had been sleeping alongside Kagome and Inuyasha. There was only a pile of blankets.

"Where are they, kitsune?" he whispered.

Shippo frowned. "My name is 'Shippo', not 'kitsune'!" he whispered venomously. 

"Fine, Shippo, where are they?" he retorted through gritted fangs.

"How should I know? I woke up about ten minutes ago and they were sneaking out of the tent holding hands. I figured I could just sneak over and sleep here, by Rin," Shippo whined.

"Very well. Keep an eye on her. I shall return shortly." Sesshomaru uncovered himself and quietly left the tent.

_My filthy, half breed brother had better not have skulked off with his wench in tow to destroy Naraku! I will have his head if that is the case! Koga and his underlings can fight over the leftovers . . . _Sesshomaru stalked their tracks of slightly indented patches in the grass and undergrowth. Their path did not seem to be heading for Naraku's palace, so Lord Sesshomaru relaxed slightly. So, he has a brain after all. He reached to push a cluster of low hanging branches out of his way when he heard Kagome's voice.

"Inuyasha!" she gasped.

Sesshomaru stopped, giving new meaning to "silent as the grave." His hand still rested upon the branches as he listened. He heard movement, and Inuyasha groan, "Kagome." Sesshomaru slowly moved a single, small, leafy branch aside with his index finger to clear his view.

_By Kami!_

His amber eyes reflected the image of Inuyasha and Kagome in each other's most passionate of embraces and moving to the very rhythm of nature's act of love and creation. Sesshomaru let the branch spring back into its place, turned on his heel, and walked back to the tent. Outside by the dying embers of the fire sat Geist. Her pale skin gleamed under the moon light and long red tendrils of hair curled and spilled messily over her shoulders pooling at her sides. Wrapped in her sleep crinkled black robe she seems as a ghost in the late night moon light. His footsteps caught her attention and she turned to Sesshomaru curiously.

"You seem surprised," he thought he saw both of her eyes black, "but not by me." He stared blankly at her still trying to process seeing his brother and his wench in their intimate moment.

"It is not wise to pry telepath," he replied flatly.

"I need not be a telepath to tell," She smirked, "the look in your eyes told me everything. Not to mention I can sense the youki of Inuyasha and Kagome not far from here so I can only guess what you saw them doing which would shock even you." Her lips curled into a teasing smile.

"What my brother does with his wench is none of my concern," Sesshomaru left her and returned inside the tent.

Once he returned inside he encountered many questions from Shippo. "Did you find them? Are they hurt? What are they doing?"

At that question Sesshomaru simply commanded, "Shippo, tomorrow Kagome will smell different but she will not know it. You must not say anything about it."

"Why?"

His hair almost stood on end, "Just don't speak of it! My order is enough!"

Shippo gave him that "you're lame" look (that he's so good at) and just grumbled, "Geez, okay. I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Good. Now go to bed." Moments later Geist stepped back into the tent and curled next to her brother not bothering to acknowledge Sesshomaru on her way.

The young kitsune, too young and innocent (not to mention smart) to know better, did not press the matter with Lord Sesshomaru and simply went back to sleep, absentmindedly petting Rin's hair. Moments later Geist stepped back into the tent and curled next to her brother not bothering to acknowledge Sesshomaru on her way, also going back to sleep. However, Lord Sesshomaru lay awake.

_What new complications will this bring about? Every demon nose in this contraption will be able to smell the fact that she mated with my brother . . . ugh, how nauseating . . . The wolf will not be pleased with this. This Sesshomaru does not care whose feelings are hurt, so long as we still have enough hands to defeat Naraku. I will kill InuYasha if I had to swallow my pride and join with them for __**nothing!**__ All of this hangs on whether or not that damned wolf can let go of a human! The alliance may fall apart . . . and it will all be for one night of blind passion. How pathetic . . ._

Damn you, Inuyasha . . . 

As if on cue, Sesshomaru heard a pair of footsteps nearing the tent. He feigned sleep as Inuyasha and Kagome crept back into the tent. They slowly made their way back to their spot and settled down quietly. Sesshomaru could smell the remnants of their mating. Inuyasha's scent was all over the girl … it would be forever.

Soon, Inuyasha and Kagome's soft, measured breathing joined the others' while Sesshomaru stared at the canvas ceiling.


End file.
